In Shared Wisdom: Cultural Evolution in the Age of AI, Alex “Sandy” Pentland, Ph.D., delves into the history of innovation, emphasizing how technologies and cultural inventions have shaped human society. Humanity’s great leaps forward—the rise of civilizations, the Enlightenment, and the Scientific Revolution—were all propelled by cultural inventions that accelerated our rate of innovation and built collective wisdom. Solving today’s global challenges, from climate change and pandemics to failing social institutions, will require similarly fundamental inventions.

Shared Wisdom provides a unique perspective on human society and offers insights into how we can use technologies like digital media and AI to augment, rather than replace, our human capacity for deliberation. Drawing on his expertise in both social science and technology, Pentland bridges the gap between these disciplines and offers a holistic view of the challenges and opportunities we face in the age of AI. By examining our deep history, he argues that the better we understand the key factors that accelerate cultural evolution, the greater our chances of surmounting our current problems.

Pentland is a Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and Toshiba Professor of Media Arts & Science at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He is a serial entrepreneur, was named one of the “100 People to Watch This Century” by Newsweek and “one of the seven most powerful data scientists in the world” by Forbes. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, an advisor to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Lab, and an advisor to Google, AT&T, and the UN Secretary General. Pentland will be in conversation with Lisa Kay Solomon (FAN ’24), a lecturer and the Futurist in Residence at the Stanford University d.school. She is the host of the How We Future podcast and Substack and the co-author of the bestselling books Moments of Impact and Design a Better Business.

Bonus Book Giveaway: FAN is giving away copies of Shared Wisdom to randomly selected Zoom attendees. Details on the webinar registration page.

This event is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. It will be recorded and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.